100-Word Review: Mac DeMarco’s ‘Salad Days’

Mac DeMarco’s got a face for punching and a penchant for sticking drumsticks up his butt. Typically, those are cause for denigrating, if only his album Salad Days weren’t so sincere and catchy. The Canadian artist’s album is narrowly focused–a homogenous LP of smoked-out lounge guitar and dude-relating lyrics–but sharpened. “Blue Boy”’s melody is gorgeous and “Goodbye Weekend” sees DeMarco comfortable in his own lifestyle: “Sometimes rough, but generally speaking I’m fine.” And the drumsticks? He knows that behavior’s odd, as he laments on “Passing Out Pieces.”

You can still judge the book by its cover–he’s not dissuading you–but at least listen to it.